Rolex - The Geneva Watch Auction: X Geneva Saturday, November 9, 2019 | Phillips

Create your first list.

Select an existing list or create a new list to share and manage lots you follow.

  • Manufacturer: Rolex
    Year: Circa 1992
    Reference No: 16523
    Case No: N127904
    Model Name: Cosmograph Daytona
    Material: Stainless steel and 18K yellow gold
    Calibre: Automatic, cal. 4030, 31 jewels
    Bracelet/Strap: Stainless steel and 18K yellow gold Rolex Oyster bracelet stamped "78363" and "580" to the endlinks
    Clasp/Buckle: Stainless steel and 18K gold Rolex deployant clasp stamped "P9" and "78.363.18"
    Dimensions: 40mm Diameter
    Signed: Case, dial, movement and clasp signed
    Accessories: Accompanied by Rolex Guarantee stamped by Michigan retailer Sam Cummings and dated October 31, 1992, later Rolex box, literature and outer packaging

  • Catalogue Essay

    While one manual Daytona is known in steel and gold (see lot 10, Phillips NY “Winning Icons” sale), it was not until the advent of the automatic version that a steel and gold version of the Cosmograph was officially launched. The decision to launch this iteration was most probably driven by the fashion of the 1980s, which highly favored this combination. In the 1990s however two-tone cases gradually lost part of their appeal, and thus reference 16523 was produced in numbers probably closer to those of the gold reference rather than those of the steel one. The fact that two-tone cases are recently enjoying a strong return to popularity combined with the scarcity of reference 16523, render this piece an enticing opportunity for the sports watch enthusiast, further boosted by the presence of the original guarantee.

  • Artist Biography

    Rolex

    Swiss • 1905

    Founded in 1905 England by Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred Davis as Wilsdorf & Davis, it soon became known as the Rolex Watch Company in 1915, moving its headquarters to Geneva in 1919. Like no other company, the success of the wristwatch can be attributed to many of Rolex's innovations that made them one of the most respected and well-known of all luxury brands. These innovations include their famous "Oyster" case — the world's first water resistant and dustproof watch case, invented in 1926 — and their "Perpetual" — the first reliable self-winding movement for wristwatches launched in 1933. They would form the foundation for Rolex's Datejust and Day-Date, respectively introduced in 1945 and 1956, but also importantly for their sports watches, such as the Explorer, Submariner and GMT-Master launched in the mid-1950s.

    One of its most famous models is the Cosmograph Daytona. Launched in 1963, these chronographs are without any doubt amongst the most iconic and coveted of all collectible wristwatches. Other key collectible models include their most complicated vintage watches, including references 8171 and 6062 with triple calendar and moon phase, "Jean Claude Killy" triple date chronograph models and the Submariner, including early "big-crown" models and military-issued variants.

    View More Works

143

Ref. 16523
A fine stainless steel and yellow gold automatic chronograph wristwatch with bracelet, Guarantee and box

Circa 1992
40mm Diameter
Case, dial, movement and clasp signed

Estimate
CHF8,000 - 12,000 
€7,500-11,300
$8,300-12,500

Sold for CHF16,250

Contact Specialist
Alexandre Ghotbi
Head of Watches, Continental Europe and the Middle East
+ 41 79 637 1724
aghotbi@phillips.com

The Geneva Watch Auction: X

Geneva Auction 9-10 November 2019